Meatless Meal ~ Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce with Vegan Sausage

Sometimes we struggle in life.  Let me rephrase that, We all struggle in life from time to time.  One big struggle in my life was my battle with cancer.  At that time in 2010, I learned about being vegan from my doctors perspective and for me, it was something I could control since I could not control having cancer.  Here is a recipe that I had created back then when I had gone vegan for 4 months, and then once in the hospital, and during my recovery at home, ate vegan once in awhile.  Because everyone I knew had wanted to help take care of me, they brought me meals and I was so afraid of what I'd get if I had them make vegan ones. (Must remember I was new to veganism, so please, no judgment here.) And since no one I knew was vegan, just one vegetarian, I didn't want to rob them of wanting to help me so my healthy vegan life was drifting away after that. That is, until a few years ago.

 

 

 

 My vintage post begins here~

I love to cook. I love to eat! Thus, because of this, I am trying to eat as healthy as I can. So if I need a splurge day to go out with friends or something, I can and won't feel guilty, not one bit.
Back in August of 2010, I found out I had Thyroid cancer. Prior to the surgery, my doctor said I should go Vegan. He said it was the one thing I could control at the time for my body and it would help with keeping the cancer from growing. I gave it a shot. It was hard and extremely difficult but I did it for 4 solid months before my surgery. One thing I enjoyed doing while I was Vegan was to create delicious recipes since I wasn't fond of most of the Vegan foods I purchased. I did seem to have a lot of luck with it. While I was home, Vegan was simple but while out and about and on trips, it was difficult to find vegan restaurants and great food. I was getting bored with Veggie fajitas and salads. So being home was my sanctuary and I was eating well. Sometimes too well. I'll have to share my Vegan cupcake story at another time and share how you can gain weight being vegan.
So let me share a pasta recipe I created with Sun dried Tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichokes, mushrooms and a vegan sausage I created. I promise it is not lacking in flavor and you'll be shocked that it is vegan, with no dairy whatsoever!

Creamy Sun dried Tomato Sauce with Vegan Sausage~

Ingredients:

Sauce part 1~
1 box soft tofu
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes in oil
2 fresh sprigs rosemary or 2 tsp dried.
Food Process well and set aside.

Sauce part 2~
1/4 c water
1/2 lb beef style crumble meat replacement product
1 tsp fresh garlic
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 tsp fennel seeds
then add,
1/2 c artichoke
1/2 c roasted red peppers
3/4 c sliced mushrooms
then add,
Sauce part 1
1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk (or your favorite unsweetened non dairy milk)
Cook first ingredients in a large saute pan till warm, then add roasted red peppers, artichokes and mushrooms and saute a bit more until mushrooms start to soften.
then add the Sauce part 1 mixture and 1/2 c coconut milk to thin it a bit and stir until just hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over whole wheat noodles or Spaghetti squash noodles for a lower carb meal.

And Voila~ Here is a delicious hot meal that is sure to please with all the flavor, less carbs and less calories than traditional cream based pastas. Enjoy.